Censorship: Nokia, Siemens Helped Iran Rig Networks for Government Control

Gizmodo ^ | Mon Jun 22 2009 | Gizmodo

[MyTwoCopperCoins]

The role of the internet in Iran's recent unrest has been stunning; so too have been the regime's efforts to minimize it. Luckily for the government, Iran's networks are rigged for suppression, courtesy of Nokia and Siemens.

The core of the regime's online efforts is a process called deep packet inspection, which essentially scans nearly all internet traffic for offending material and can give authorities the ability to block the offending communications or, more importantly, identify where they came from. As you can imagine, this is quite a terrifying prospect for protesters, journalists and dissidents.

Here's how it happened: In 2008, the Iranian government contracted Nokia Siemens Networks, among others, to help update its communications infrastructure, predictably requesting power to monitor and control internet traffic. With the government's full monopoly on the industry and poor human rights record in full view, Nokia Siemens Networks obliged, installing a cutting-edge "monitoring center", which the WSJ calls one of the "most sophisticated" in the world.

Obviously Nokia and Siemens couldn't have foreseen this exact outcome, but honestly, what did they expect? For a government to use powers like this for good? [WSJ]

[Talisker]

Why do you think it’s called a “Web”?

[Viiksitimali]

Espoo, Finland, June 22, 2009
Recent media reports have speculated about Nokia Siemens Networks’ role in providing monitoring capability to Iran. Nokia Siemens Networks has provided Lawful Intercept capability solely for the monitoring of local voice calls in Iran. Nokia Siemens Networks has not provided any deep packet inspection, web censorship or Internet filtering capability to Iran.

http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press+releases/news-archive/Provision+of+Lawful+Intercept+capability+in+Iran.htm

[wastoute]

Well if Zero won't step up maybe one thing we can do for freedom is put Siemens out of business right here. Like so many others, if they think they can survive in this economy selling to HALF of America, have at it. I still haven't forgiven Ruger for trying to sell us out on magazine capacity. I just don't forget crap like that.

Μολὼν λάβε

[2ndDivisionVet]

IBM sold their punch card system to Nazi Germany to keep track of their political prisoners and the Jews/Homosexuals/Gypsies in the concentration camps. Some things never change.

[12Gauge687]

This was in yesterday’s (June 22) Wall St. Journal, a very lengthy article with analysis from the tech community about the impact of the Siemens/Nokia deal. If you have a link to it for FR folks to read, that would be great, too.

[freedomconservationist]

I’m sure that these companies were required to do this in order to do business in the country. If they didn’t do it, someone else would, or Iran wouldn’t have infrastructure at all. Of course Iran could have done the job in-house at their own expense and done the same anyway.

This is being done in China as well, with US PC manufacturers required to put monitoring software on the PC’s themselves to sell them in China.

Also, remember when the Bush administration tried to strong-arm Google and other search engines into reporting on searching? I don’t remember if that was successful or not.

Yes, it’s all scary, especially when we talk about it happening to us. Whether it happens or not depends on the party in charge, and how much they value security vs. the right to privacy.

[Fitzy_888]

Here is Siemens SSK (Iran) celebrating the grand opening of their state of the art training center in Iran providing training to staff and customers. Presumably, this is where the creme of the crop basiji or secret police might go. A place to learn the skills required to efficiently monitor and archive the private communications of their fellow countrymen {in the interest of future prosecution, torture and death}.

As Siemens SSK puts it: “The new building disposes in its classrooms of several facilities such as wireless LAN and telecommunication cabling, data projectors and accessories, 380V PDBs, suspended ceiling and anti-static raised floor.”

Oh look, what a nice day and fun time for all:

http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic1.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic2.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic3.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic4.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic5.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic6.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic7.jpg
http://www.siemens.ir/en/images/event4/Pic8.jpg

[ Note I don’t know how to post a picture, if someone might post them directly. Otherwise, they have been saved for ‘posterity’. ]

[Fitzy_888]

Currently in advertisements on Clear Channel Communications radio stations, Siemens is lauding their Green Lighting Division and Building Systems Division here in the United States. Extremely offensive given Siemens technology may soon be employed by the Regime to identify protestors. {Nobody will document their plight.}

Yes, the same stations that carry Rush, Hannity, and Levin.

If you have an issue with that, you might want to make a complaint to Clear Channel Communications and your local radio station.

[MyTwoCopperCoins]

Thanks! I’ll try to find it and post it here. If someone else can beat me to it, feel free to post the same, here.